Online Resources

Students are to post links (and summaries of the valuable information provided therein) to resources that provide credible information on American Indian cultures (e.g., contemporary life, histories, languages, literatures, rhetorics, etc.). Simply respond to/comment on this post to add your resource title, URL, and summary of value. Make certain that you include your name on your comment so that you get credit for posting. I look forward to reviewing your suggestions.

Class Blog Roll

Here's the list of student bloggers and their ENG 266 class blogs:

Jada: http://tutubee1.wordpress.com
Cassie: http://aindiancultureslits.motime.com/
Beth: http://epclark.motime.com/
Collin: http://cjbraasaistudies.motime.com/
Ryan B.: http://rjblackwell.blogspot.com/
Ryan G.: http://americanindianeng266.blogspot.com/
Loretta: http://shesfifthgeneration.blogspot.com/
Paul: http://jtarwin69.blogspot.com/
Mandy: http://ailiteraturesandcultures.blogspot.com/
Ryan: http://americanindianeng266.blogspot.com/
Andrea: http://drealynn6.wordpress.com
Marion: http://eng266sakaluk.wordpress.com/
Jim B.: http://jimeng266.blogspot.com/
Jim D: http://jimdockaistudies.blogspot.com/
Brooke: http://culturechatwithbrookey.motime.com/
Rob: http://readingposts-koehler.blogspot.com/
Haley: http://nativelit.motime.com/
Hilary: http://hillyness.blogspot.com/
Dan: http://keepitonthedl.wordpress.com/
Jennifer: http://english266ailac.blogspot.com/
Heather: http://americanindiansnheather.wordpress.com/
James: http://jehockl.blogspot.com/
Doyle: http://odoyleamericanindian.blogspot.com/
Michelle: http://mnstuke.blogspot.com/
Adriene: http://adrienenatamlit.blogspot.com/

ENG 266: American Indian Literatures and Cultures Class Blog

This is the class blog for ENG 266 at Illinois State University: American Indian Literatures and Cultures.

ENG 266 introduces American Indian cultures through a variety of literatures, rhetorics, and discourses: songs (music and lyrics), spoken word, poetry, tales, autobiographies, testimony, short stories, novels, and technical/professional documents. Employing class discussion, print texts, audio, video/film, material culture, blogs, wikis, and websites, this course will study the role of oral, visual, material, and textual rhetorics and literatures as expressions of tribal intellectual, activist, creative, and spiritual values and traditions.

This course focuses primarily on engaging contemporary issues American Indian communities—nations, tribes, academic, urban, two-spirit, women, mixed-bloods, and more—negotiate in 21st century, including political and rhetorical sovereignty, self-determination, economic development, constitutional reform, cultural and language maintenance and revitalization, land and water rights, health and social welfare, and education. However, because these challenges have persisted in American Indian communities since the European invasion—and it’s critical for us to understand how colonialism has affected American Indian cultures, literatures, rhetorics, and discourses—we will ground our study of these contemporary issues in historical contexts of contact and conflict.

The primary goals of ENG 266 are to:

• Gain a better understanding of American Indian Studies and the relationship of rhetoric and literature to it
• Interrogate contemporary American Indian issues of issues of repatriation, identity, political and rhetorical sovereignty, self-determination, economic development, constitutional reform, cultural and language maintenance and revitalization, land and water rights, health and social welfare, and education
• Examine major themes, motifs, rhetorical strategies, and associated symbolic images (re)presented in traditional and non-traditional American Indian texts and discourses
• Study the histories of several American Indian cultures and their relationships to the texts and discourses from and about those cultures
• Promote an understanding of American Indian histories, discourses, and literatures as ethical action
• Facilitate a deeper understanding and facility with rhetorical and literary analyses
• Interrogate the relationships between and across all genres of American Indian literatures, rhetorics, and discourses
• Encourage responsible engagement with American Indian intellectual traditions (instead of consuming them).
  

Ultimately, the reading, listening, and viewing of materials, participating in discussion, researching, and writing required for this class should help students gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of American Indian people, cultures, discourses, and literatures—and how they contribute to our understanding of the world around
us.